Hi. Off topic. I came across this on the web. And I vaguely remembered a letter sender in your regular column (I am not even sure if I read it in your column. Sorry if I am mistaken. Lol)in The Manila Bulletin. Sounds suspiciously the same?

Dear Prudence,
I am a 26-year-old, happily married woman with a lot of friends and acquaintances. In high school and college, I was angry and depressed, and cut and burned myself out of self loathing. My scars are mostly on my arms and thighs and usually are hidden by clothes. However, when my scars show, it inevitably leads to someone asking how I got them. I don’t want to lie, but when I try changing the subject, it often comes up again, and saying something dismissive seems to create more curiosity. I’ve responded, “I’d prefer not to talk about it,” but that tends to make people give me weird looks and avoid me. I am not ashamed, per se, of overcoming depression, but I don’t think it is most people’s business, and some people act differently around me when they hear about my past mental illness. Most of my friends know that I don’t like to talk about the scars, but I meet new people almost weekly. Is there an easy way to defuse the situation? Can I ever wear short sleeves again?
—Scarred and Awkward

Dear Scarred,
I spoke to Janis Whitlock, director of the Cornell Research Program on Self Injurious Behavior, about your situation, and she had advice for two different approaches. Certainly, you have no obligation to open up about this if you don’t want to. Confidently say in response to questions, “That’s a personal story I’m not comfortable sharing. Thanks for understanding,” then change the subject. They may remain curious, but you’ve answered politely and closed the subject. But Whitlock also said that if it’s someone you know, you might want to consider telling the truth. You can explain, “I was a very unhappy adolescent and I hurt myself. Fortunately, that’s in the past and I have a wonderful life now.” She says most people will have probably guessed and that your manner will convey to them that you are at ease with this subject. She adds that you should expect to hear a lot of confessions about others’—or their loved ones’—similar trials and pain. Whitlock says often people who have hurt themselves are not only physically scarred but carry a scarring sense of shame. Being able to discuss this—within the parameters that feel right to you—will help you let go of that and be proud of how far you’ve come.
—Prudie

On a more ponderous note, why do we always associate Sisa as this mentally deranged woman, when in fact before she became that, she was a patient wife, a devoted mother, a religious woman and an industrious farm worker? And she just became deranged when everything fell apart? Who would NOT go mental after losing 2 sons — one beaten to death and the other jailed despite being a minor — losing your farm, abandoned by a de facto husband and accused of treason, among other forms of emotional and physical torture? I would be more than deranged if that happened to me.